Student transportation in specialized education is increasingly coming under scrutiny, now that a new flash survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) shows that many problems persist.
The results show that taxis and vans that transport students to special education schools on a daily basis often arrive and return late. In addition, complaints are regularly made about the quality of the service and its impact on the well-being and performance of the students.
The research, conducted by research agency Oberon in June 2024, aims to provide insight into the experiences of schools with taxi transport and the consequences for the students. The survey was aimed at 877 schools within specialized education (GO), of which 263 schools (30 percent) responded. The research was conducted in collaboration with schools for special primary education (SBO), special education (SO) and secondary special education (VSO).
dependent
The survey shows that more than half of the students in specialized education depend on taxi transportation to get to school. Although this transportation is essential for these students, 32 percent of the schools indicate that they are dissatisfied with the service. More than a quarter of the branches experience structural delays, which often causes students to arrive late at school. This problem particularly affects the Central region, where schools report higher percentages of late arriving students compared to other regions.
The problems with taxi transport also have an impact on the school performance of pupils. On average, 12 percent of schools report that pupils experience a negative impact on their performance due to missed lessons due to delays. The largest group of schools, approximately 40 percent, indicated that they did not experience any negative impact on school performance, but a significant minority did report problems. Negative effects on school results are particularly noted in special primary education and secondary special education, suggesting that certain types of education are particularly vulnerable to the disadvantages of delayed pupil transport.
performance
In addition, transport not only affects school performance, but also the participation of pupils in lessons. A quarter of schools report that pupils are regularly unable to participate optimally in lessons due to fatigue or overstimulation. This phenomenon is more prominent in special education, such as VSO, where the intensive care needs of pupils often clash with the long travel times and sometimes chaotic circumstances during transport. In some cases, it even leads to drop-outs, with 10 percent of schools indicating that transport was a factor that contributed to school drop-outs.
Another concern that emerged from the survey is the frequent late pick-up of students after school. On average, 15 percent of schools report that students are picked up late each week. These delays cause unrest among both students and parents and highlight the poor communication and organization at some transport companies. Dissatisfaction with transport can mainly be traced back to several bottlenecks, such as changing drivers and little knowledge and experience of drivers with the target group, according to 32 percent of respondents.
bottlenecks
In addition to the concrete figures, the open explanations from schools revealed other bottlenecks. For example, almost half of the schools complain about the fact that students are structurally dropped off and picked up late, sometimes without supervision. Many schools also report that students are transported in mixed groups, which can lead to unrest and tension between the students. Furthermore, in 16 percent of the cases it is indicated that changes in drivers cause unrest among the students. In addition, the explanations showed that students sometimes make long journeys, which contributes to fatigue and overstimulation.
The survey clearly shows that there are still many areas for improvement in student transport within specialized education. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the relevant authorities are expected to study this report further and consider what steps are needed to optimize student transportation. For now, this report emphasizes the urgency to improve student transportation within specialized education, so that safety, punctuality and general quality are guaranteed.
source
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has asked Oberon to conduct a flash survey on the experiences of specialized education (GO) with adapted transport. Adapted transport is a form of student transport with vans or taxis and is the most common form of student transport. A questionnaire was drawn up in close consultation with the client. The link to the digital survey was distributed to all 877 branches within specialized education. The questionnaire was open from June 17 to July 1, 2024.
